Adenomatous Polyposis Coli Regulates Endothelial Cell Migration Independent of Roles in β-Catenin Signaling and Cell–Cell Adhesion

Adenomatous polyposis coli (APC), a tumor suppressor commonly mutated in cancer, is a cytoskeletal organizer for cell migration and a scaffold for GSK3 beta/CKI-mediated phosphorylation and degradation of the Wnt effector beta-catenin. It remains unclear whether these different APC functions are coupled, or independently regulated and localized. In primary endothelial cells, we show that GSK3 beta/CKI-phosphorylated APC localizes to microtubule-dependent clusters at the tips of membrane extensions. Loss of GSK3 beta/CKI-phosphorylated APC from these clusters correlates with a decrease in cell migration. GSK3 beta/CKI-phosphorylated APC and beta-catenin at clusters is degraded rapidly by the proteasome, but inhibition of GSK3 beta/CKI does not increase beta-catenin-mediated transcription. GSK3 beta/CKI-phosphorylated and -nonphosphorylated APC also localize along adherens junctions, which requires actin and cell-cell adhesion. Significantly, inhibition of cell-cell adhesion results in loss of lateral membrane APC and a concomitant increase in GSK3 beta/CKI-phosphorylated APC in clusters. These results uncouple different APC functions and show that GSK3 beta/CKI phosphorylation regulates APC clusters and cell migration independently of cell-cell adhesion and beta-catenin transcriptional activity.